FROM LORD CARMARTHEN TO JOHN ADAMS.

Sir,

St. James's, May 27, 1785.

I forgot to mention to you to-day, when you did me the honor to call upon me in Grosvenor Square, that it is customary for every foreign Minister to send the Secretary of State a copy of the credential letters, they are directed by their Sovereigns to present to his Majesty, or to the Queen. With regard to the superscription, I find the credentials of the Ministers from the States General of the United Provinces are only addressed" au Roi de la Grande Bretagne." I believe I did mention to you, sir, that the credential letters are always delivered, sealed, into his Majesty's hand.

I am, sir, &c.
CARMARTHEN.

FROM JOHN ADAMS TO LORD CARMARTHEN.

My Lord,

London, May 28, 1785.

I have received the letter your Lordship did me the honor to write to me yesterday, and have here enclosed a copy of the letter of credence, which I am directed by my Sovereign to present to his Majesty. I am so unfortunate as not to have any for the Queen, but I know the sentiments of my country, and of Congress, so well, as to be sure that this is not owing to any want of respect to her Majesty; probably it was merely the want of information that there had ever been a precedent of it.

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I beg leave to propose to your Lordship, that the superscription should be, "To His Majesty, George the third, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. If your Lordship should not disapprove of this, I should prefer it to the address of the United Provinces, as being more respectful.

With great respect, I have the honor, &c.
JOHN ADAMS.

FROM JOHN JAY TO JOHN ADAMS.

Office of Foreign Affairs,
March 31, 1785.

Dear Sir,

I have the honor of transmitting to you herewith enclosed, a certified copy of an act of Congress of the 21st instant, instructing you to communicate to Mr. St. Saphorin, the high sense the United States in Congress assembled, entertain of the liberal decision made by his Danish Majesty, on the question proposed to his Minister by you, respecting the ordination of American candidates for holy orders in the episcopal church, commonly called the church of England.

Congress has been pleased to order and to transmit copies of your letter and the other papers on this subject, to the executives of the different States; and I am persuaded they will receive with pleasure this mark of your attention, and of his Danish Majesty's friendly disposition.

I have the honor to be, &c.

JOHN JAY.

Extract from the Secret Journal of Foreign Affairs, March 21, 1785.

"On the report of a committee consisting of Mr. Holten, Mr. W. C. Houston, Mr. Read, Mr. Bedford and Mr. Hardy, to whom were referred sundry letters from the Ministers of the United States at foreign Courts,

"Resolved, That the Minister Plenipotentiary from the United States to the States General of the United Netherlands, be instructed to communicate to Monsieur de St. Saphorin, Envoy Extraordinary from his Danish Majesty to the States General, the high sense the United States in Congress assembled, entertain of the liberal decision made by his Majesty on the question proposed to his Majesty's Minister, from the United States, respecting the ordination of American candidates for holy orders in the episcopal church, commonly called the church of England.

Ordered, That the Secretary for Foreign Affairs transmit to the executives of the several States, copies of Mr. Adams' letter of the 22nd of April, 1784, as well as of the papers therein enclosed, relative to episcopal ordination."

FROM JOHN JAY TO JOHN ADAMS.

New York, April 13, 1785.

Dear Sir,

I had the honor of writing to you on the 15th March last, mentioning your appointment to the Court of London; on the 18th of the same month enclosing your

commission, instructions and letter of credence, and sending with it the journals of Congress necessary to complete your set; and on the 31st March I wrote you another letter, with an act of Congress directing you to communicate to Mr. Saphorin the high sense they entertain of the liberal decision made by his Danish Majesty, on the question respecting the ordination of American candidates for holy orders in the episcopal church. Those letters were committed to the care of Paul Randall, Esq. who sailed in the last French packet.

I also wrote by captain Lamb, a letter dated the 11th March, to yourself, Doctor Franklin and Mr. Jefferson, enclosing a variety of papers respecting the treaties you are directed to negotiate and conclude with the Barbary States.

This will be delivered to you by Colonel Smith, your Secretary; and I herewith enclose copies of a number of papers respecting the transportation from hence, of negroes, by the British army, contrary to the treaty of peace; and also copies of some papers on the subject of the debts due from American to British merchants. On these two subjects your instructions partly turn, and that you may be the better enabled to fulfil them, these papers are now transmitted.

I have the honor to be, &c.

P. S. I herewith enclose a cypher.

JOHN JAY.

PAPERS ON THE DEPORTATION OF NEGROES.

Extract of a letter from Sir Guy Carleton to General Washington, of 12th May, 1783.

"I enclose a copy of an order which I have given out to prevent the carrying away any negroes or other property of the American inhabitants. I understand, from the gentlemen therein named, that they visited the fleet bound to Nova Scotia, and ordered on shore whatever came clearly under the above description; there appeared to be but little difference of opinion except in the case of the negroes, who had been declared free previous to my arrival. As I had no right to deprive them of that liberty I found them possessed of, an accurate register was taken of every circumstance respecting them, so as to serve as a record of the name of the original proprietor of the negro, and as a rule by which to judge of his value. By this open method of conducting the business, I hoped to prevent all fraud, and whatever might admit of different constructions is left open for future explanation or compensation. Had these negroes been denied permission to embark, they would, in spite of every means to prevent it, have found various methods of quitting this place, so that the former owner would no longer have been able to trace them, and of course would have lost, in every way, all chance of compensation.

This business, carried on in this public manner, and the orders nominating persons to superintend embarkations, published in the Gazette, I had no reason to think either the embarkation or any circumstance attending it, could have been matter of surprize to your Excellency on the 6th May: I then, however, learned with concern,